Many of the greatest classic rock songs of all time were written by the very musicians who performed and recorded them. Others were ghostwritten by quiet musical geniuses, and others were co-written efforts with other excellent classic rock songwriters. Let’s take a look at a few famous classic rock songs with credits to songwriters that you may not have known about!
“Badge” by Cream Was Co-Written by George Harrison
It’s no secret that The Beatles’ George Harrison was friends with Eric Clapton and worked with him often. However, some fans of either artist might not know that Harrison actually co-wrote Cream’s 1969 blues rock tune, “Badge”. This jam from the album Goodbye was a co-written effort between Harrison and Clapton. It was put together before The Beatles had even called it quits.
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Fun fact: This song was titled “Badge” because Harrison’s handwriting was so bad that Clapton misread “Bridge” as “Badge”, and they sort of just stuck with it.
“Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” by David Bowie Was Composed by Giorgio Moroder
Remember this strange new wave track from David Bowie? “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” was recorded to be the title track of the 1982 erotic horror film, Cat People. Bowie was contracted by director Paul Schrader to do the song. Bowie wrote all of the lyrics, but famed Italian composer Giorgio Moroder actually composed it. You might know Moroder for his legendary work in disco and synth-pop throughout much of the latter half of the 20th century. Moroder also founded the legendary Musicland Studios in Germany, which was famously used by the likes of Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Queen, and other big names.
“I’m A Believer” by The Monkees Was Written by Neil Diamond
This hit by The Monkees ended up being a No. 1 hit for the band. It also became the highest-selling single of 1967, period. Released the year prior, “I’m A Believer” topped countless charts, from the Billboard Hot 100 to the UK Singles chart. And the song itself was basically given away to The Monkees by one of the best classic rock songwriters of all time, Neil Diamond. According to Diamond, his label at the time “freaked” out about the gifting of “I’m A Believer”. Apparently, they “felt that [Diamond] had given No. 1 records away to another group.”
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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